As we mentioned yesterday, Alex Rodriguez had his long-awaited meeting with MLB’s investigators on Friday. Now we have the fallout.

According to Bill Madden and Teri Thompson of the New York Daily News, lawyers for Rodriguez are internally discussing the possibility of a plea deal with MLB. It’s believed that MLB also broached the possibility of a settlement with Ryan Braun and other players connected to Biogenesis.

According to another source, Rodriguez’s meeting with MLB ended at about 4 p.m., and a clearly shaken Rodriguez then met with MLB Players Association reps for an hour and a half to discuss what had been outlined by MLB officials. When Rodriguez didn’t show up at the Yankee complex, GM Brian Cashman then tried to reach the three-time AL MVP, who told him that he “just couldn’t make it.”

Meanwhile, an A-Rod spokesman told The News Saturday night in reference to a possible plea deal that “nobody from Alex’s team has made any such comments, and as we have said before, we are respecting the process and following the procedures as outlined in the joint agreement.”

As The News has reported, MLB is believed to have extensive evidence, including Bosch’s own testimony, that Rodriguez committed multiple violations of the joint drug agreement, including acquiring performance-enhancing drugs from Bosch for several years. The self-described “biochemist” has been cooperating with MLB for several weeks in exchange for being dropped from baseball’s lawsuit against him for tortious interference with its player contracts, indemnifying him for legal expenses and putting in a good word for him with law enforcement, and he is believed to have provided proof of his dealings with Rodriguez.

“I can see a scenario where if they’ve got multiple offenses (against A-Rod) that rather than going for his career with an arbitrator, baseball might settle on something like 150 games,” said one of the sources.

According to the Joint Drug Agreement, players are suspended 50 games for a first violation, 100 games for a second, and receive a lifetime ban for a third. As a result, it’s unclear where the 150-game number is coming from, but MLB could be floating it as a compromise if they have a legitimate case for a lifetime ban. Rodriguez would be entitled to an appeal, but a plea deal could be more appealing than hoping that an arbitrator will rule in his favor, especially if his legal team believes the evidence against him is significant and credible. In addition to his career potentially being on the line, Rodriguez still has $100 million remaining on his contract with the Yankees.

Brewers’ right-hander Phil Bickford received a 50-game suspension after testing positive for a drug of abuse, per the Los Angeles Times’ Bill Shaikin. This is the second time Bickford has been suspended for recreational drug use, as he was previously penalized in 2015 after testing positive for marijuana prior to the amateur draft.

Bickford was selected by the Giants in the first round of the 2015 draft and was later dealt to the Brewers for lefty reliever Will Smith at the 2016 trade deadline. He finished his 2016 campaign in High-A Brevard County, pitching to a 3.67 ERA, 10.0 K/9 rate and 5.0 BB/9 over 27 innings.

Two other suspensions were handed down on Friday, one to Toronto minor league right-hander Pedro Loficial for a positive test for metabolites of Stanozolol and one to Miami minor league outfielder Casey Soltis for a second positive test for drugs of abuse. Loficial will serve a 72-game suspension, while Soltis will serve 50 games. All three suspensions are due to start at the beginning of the 2017 season for each respective minor league team.

We are very disappointed to learn of Phil’s suspension, but we fully support the Minor League Baseball Drug Prevention and Testing Program and its enforcement by the Commissioner’s Office. Phil understands he made a mistake, and we fully anticipate that he will learn from this experience.

Confirming a report from Tuesday, the Diamondbacks officially signed right-hander Fernando Rodney to a one-year, $2.75 million contract on Friday. The 39-year-old stands to receive up to $4 million in incentives, per Jack MacGruder of FanRag Sports, with $250,000 kicking in when the veteran reaches 40, 50 and 60 appearances and $500,000 if he reaches 70.

Rodney came three games shy of the 70-appearance mark in 2016 during back-to-back stints with the Padres and Marlins. He put up a cumulative 3.44 ERA on the year, which effectively disguised the extreme split during his performances in San Diego and Miami. The Diamondbacks aren’t anywhere close to contending in 2017, but Rodney should stabilize the back end of their bullpen while providing Arizona GM Mike Hazen with a potential trade chip during next year’s deadline.

With Fernando, we’re getting an established Major League closer and a veteran presence in the bullpen. It is helpful to have someone with his experience on the back end to slow the game down and get the final three outs.